Outer Ring

In traditional Myanmar temple architecture, larger temples are built on a square plan with two rings of corridors. An inner sanctum was reserved for royalty – usually whomever commissioned the building of the temple, along with their family. In many of Bagan’s temples, these corridors are still restricted. The outer ring, however, is accessible to all. This set of corridors opens to the exterior of the temple, letting in light through archways and high windows to illuminate the frescoes for common supplicants. Many of the temples have begun running fluorescent lights in to better illuminate the remains of the art, though this damages the fragile remnants.